Impenetrable Italian culture

Neophytes who have seen the extensive preparation that typically precedes a horse race often wonder why there is all that fuss for 90 seconds of action. When Robert Rodi, an American writer of Italian heritage, visited the Tuscan city of Siena, he became smitten by the ancient traditions of the medieval town, especially the Palio di Siena, Siena's annual bareback horse race around the central piazza.

The race has 17 riders, one from each district, or contrada, of Siena. Each district is named after an animal or symbol. To the outsider, it is a strange, insular custom and difficult to penetrate, and yet Rodi did his best to immerse himself in the life of the contrada over seven visits at various times of the year. He did this by befriending the inhabitants — not an easy thing to do — and becoming involved in the daily life of the community.

It's an engaging look at a secretive world. (Ballantine, $25)

"Close to Paradise: The Gardens of Naples, Capri & the Amalfi Coast"

A handsome, richly illustrated coffee-table book, "Close to Paradise" explores the "sun-blest" region of southern Italy, which includes Naples, Capri, Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. Author-photographer Robert I.C. Fisher describes the landscape here as "a kind of Eden" as he traverses a part of the world made famous by the Greek epic poet Homer.

Over the centuries, the region has seen its share of eminent visitors, from Richard Wagner to Greta Garbo. Fisher writes about secluded villas, cloistered monasteries and hillside castles. But the emphasis remains on the various gardens of the region, many of which are hidden from public view.

Fisher, for example, visits the former estate on Capri of the great English author Graham Greene, where Greene wrote parts of "The End of the Affair," "The Quiet American," "Our Man in Havana" and "Travels With My Aunt."

With its well-written text and gorgeous photographs, anyone who loves Italy and especially its gardens will find this an enjoyable read. As Fisher points out, many of the gardens are private, but others are open to the public, and some accommodate guests. (Frances Lincoln, $45)

"The Berlin Wall Today: Remnants, Ruins, Remembrances"

There are few remnants today of the infamous Berlin Wall. After its fall in November 1989, the authorities wasted no time in taking it down, brick by brickIn fact, writes Michael Cramer in the preface to this informative guide, the city changed so much "that even Berliners can barely remember the exact location of the Wall."

The book contains more than 100 color photographs and serves as a guide to what is left of the wall, including memorial sites honoring the persecuted and the dead.

Checkpoint Charlie, the famous border crossing, has been transformed into a tourist site. A guard tower is now the Museum of Forbidden Art, and a former Gestapo headquarters is now the Topography of Terror Museum. Among the most poignant memorials to the wall, is a painting symbolizing the day when the wall came down. (Berlinica, $14.95)